Closure applying machine



Nov. 21, 1939. A. RISSER CLOSURE APPLYING MACHINE Filed Dec; 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN l/E/V TOR ARTHUR I. RISSER 'ATTX Nov; 21, 1939. A. l. RISSER 2,180,836

CLOSURE APPLYING MACHINE Filed Dec.- 19, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig: 4-.

d v 56 INVENTORI ARTHUR 1. R1555}? BY m . ATTX CLOSURE APPLYING MACHINE Filed Dec. 19/ 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 65 l/V l/E N TOR AR THUR 1. R15 515/? BY W ri-x A. l. RISSER 2,180,836

CLO SURE APPLYING MACHINE Filed Dec] 19, 1938 Nov. 21, 1939. I

4 Shae: "ts-Sheet 4 I/v VEN TOR ART UR- I. RISSER Patented Nov. 21, 1939 umrse stares CLOSURE APPLYING MACHINE Arthur I. Risser, Chicago, Ill., assignor to U. S. Bottlers Machinery Company, Chicago, 111., a

corporation of Illinois Application December 19, 1938, Serial.No. 24.6,561

3 Claims.

This invention relates to automatic machines for corking bottles which are continuously passed through the machine, and more particularly pertains to sucha machine of the rotary type for handling flanged. corks of the type havingan enlarged top end adapted to engage over the mouth of a bottle. I

Some of the objects of the inventionare to provide such a machine that will be simple in construction; that'will be compact; that will be capable of operating at a high rate of speed; wherein various operating parts may be quickly.

adjusted or replaced to enable the machine to handle various sizes of bottles and/or corks; and that will not be liable to get out of order.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent by reference to the specification and the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a front elevation of the corking machine embodying one form of the invention, with parts broken away, parts in section and other parts being omitted. j

Fig. 2 is a detail plan section of the machine, as taken substantially on the section line 2-2 of Fig. l, with certain parts broken away.

Fig. 3 is a detail bottom plan of parts of the machine as taken substantially on thesection line 3-3 of Fig. l, with parts broken away and parts omitted.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the machine, as taken substantially on the section line 4-4. of Fig. 1. l

Fig. 5 is a detail section taken on the section line 55 of Fig. l,with parts broken away. v

Fig. 6 is a detail plan sectionv taken on the section line fi 6 of Fig. 4; Q

Fig. I is-an enlarged detail section taken on thesection line 'l'l of Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a plan section of the machine, as

Fig. l, with parts broken away. a

Fig. 9 is 'an enlarged sectional detail of a corking head of the machine, as seen in Fig. 4, with certain parts shown in section.

Fig. 10 is a front elevation of the corking head, seen in Fig. 9,, as viewed from the section line Hlli3 of said Fig. 9. 1

Fig. 11 is a detail section taken on the section line H-H' of Fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is an enlarged detail section of a corking head of the machine as taken on the section line l2l2 of Fig. 4, with certain parts seen in elevation.

Fig. 13 is an enlarged detail section taken on 5 5"the section line l3'-l3 of Fig. 4.

taken substantially on the section line 8 8 of 1 Fig. 14 is a detail section taken on the section Fig. 15 is a detail section taken on the section line l5--I5 of Fig. 13.

Fig. 16 is a detail section taken on the section 5 line [6 -16 of Fig. 13.

The machine, as illustrated, includes a. supporting frame I in the form of a housing havin'gv top and bottom walls 2 and 3, respectively, providedwith vertically aligned bearings 2a andv 10 3a, respectively, within which is rotatably mount ed a hollow shaft 4 extending upward from the housing. Mounted on the shaft 4, to rotate therewith, is a supportingmember 5 in the form of a wheel uponwhich is mounted, for move- 15 ment to raised andlowered positions, a number of bottle supports 6 equally spaced about the axis of the shaft. The bottle supportsli comprisev shelves having depending shaft portions 1, respectively', reciprocably mounted in bearings 8 20 of the wheel 5. -To preventv the shelves from rotating with respect to thewheel 5, each shelf has a depending pin 9 slidabl'y mounted in a bearing 10 in the wheel. 7

The shaft, 4' is driven to. rotate continuously 5 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in plan, and, as the shelves 6 rotate therewith they are moved to raised and lowered positions by a circular cam ll mounted on the top wall of the housing I central with the shaft and, causing operation 0' of the shelves through the intermediation of rollerslZ arranged at the bottom ends of'the shaft portions 1 of the shelves. The ,cam H is formed to cause the shelves to dwell in their lowered position during rotation thereof within an arc 5 of about 1'70 degrees whileat the front of the machine and to cause the shelves to be raised when they approach the rear of the machine.

- Mounted on. the top walljof the housing I, in spaced relation thereabove, is a hollow table 40 M arranged at the front of the machine adjacent the path of the shelves when lowered, with means arranged on the table for feeding filled bottles in position on the shelves to be corked. The bottlefeeding means includes an endless horizontal belt I 6 in the-formof .a sprocket chain provided with cleated links. One end of the belt is supported on an idler sprocket wheel l1,

and the other end of the belt is supported on a driving sprocket wheel l8 driven by a suitable 5 combination motor and speed reducer l9 through a suitable sprocket and sprocket chain connection 20. The upper stretch oithe belt is supported upon the table M in the plane of its top surface by being received within a recess or guide- 55 ""threaded sleeve segments 48 secured ,in the hiway 2! formed in the table, with the belt being driven so that its upper stretch moves from left to right as seen from the front of the machine.

The bottles to be corked are placed on the belt at the left hand side of the machine, as seen in Fig. l, where they are directed between suitable guides 22 and 23 into pockets 24 of a star wheel 25 which rotates in a counter-clockwise direc tion and cooperates with an arcuate portion 26 of the guide 23 to direct the bottles onto the shelves successively as the shelves are being carried past the front of the machine. As the shelves are raised at the rear of the machine, the bottles thereon are brought into cooperative relation with corking means of the invention which applies flanged corks to the bottles.

As each shelf reaches its lowered position, after the bottle thereon has been corked, the bottle is received within one of a number of pockets 28 of a star wheel 29 which rotates in counterclockwise direction, as seen in plan, and cooperates with the guides 30 and 3| to direct the bottles onto the belt to be carried thereon from the machine.

The star wheels 25 and 29 are secured on upright shafts 32'and 33, respectively, rotatably cally releasable clutch 39.

mounted in suitable bearings in the table 14 and the top Wall of the housing I, with each shaft having a spur gear 34 meshing with a spur gear 35 secured on the hollow shaft 4 for causing the star wheels to rotate in timed relation with the bottle supports or shelves 6.

The star wheels and bottle supports are rotated by an electric motor 36 which drives the star wheel shaft 32 through the intermediation of a suitable speed reducer 31. The motor and speed reducer are mounted within the housing l, with the speed reducer having an upright drive shaft 38 connected with the bottom end of the star wheel shaft 32 through a suitable automati- The clutch is of a common type designed to automatically release in the event the star wheel shaft is prevented from rotating by a bottle becoming jammed in the machine.

.The bottle corking means will now be de-.

scribed.

Mounted on the top end of the hollow shaft 4, is a supporting member 42 in theform of a wheel having a downwardly extended hub 43 sur- "'rounding the shaft with a bifurcated lower end clamped to the shaft by bolts 44 passing through adjacent flange portions 45 of the bifurcations 46 of the hub. The hollow shaft 4 is externally threaded, as. at 41, to receive the internally furcations 46, respectively, whereby the wheel42 may be adjusted to elevated or lowered positions on the. shaft by loosening the bolts 44 and then turning the wheel on the shaft in the proper i direction.

Mounted on the supporting wheel 42 and arranged above the shelves 6, respectively, are a number of corking heads A designed to apply the flanged corks to the bottles on the shelves as theyare moved to raised position at the rear has a reduced bottom portion 5| received within peripheral flange of the head.

In each head 56 is mounted a spring-pressed cork-engaging plunger 56 arranged centrally in the head with a lower enlarged portion 51 reciproably mounted in thereduced bottom end 5| of the head, and having an upper stem 58 slidably received within the bore of a plug 59 threaded within the upper portion of the head for adjustment axially therein. The plunger 56 is resiliently held in lowered position in the head 56 by the portion 5'! of the plunger having a flange 66 spring-pressed against a shoulder 6! in the head by a coiled spring 62 surrounding the plunger stem 58 and being interposed between the said flange and the plug 59 which is adapted for regulating compression of the spring.

Each plunger 56 has an enlarged cork-engaging bottom end 63 normally positioned at the bottom end of the bore 52 of the bearing portion 53 of the wheel 42, with means being provided forming a recess directly under said bottom end of the plunger having an inlet opening in the direction of or toward the periphery of the wheel and adapted to receive and position a flanged cork centrally below the plunger in an upright position. The means forming the recesses of the heads includes a pair of segmental or semicircular ring portions 64 secured on the under side of the.

wheel 52 by bolts 65, with said ring portions having outer or peripheral edges 66 concentric with the wheel and having notches 61 therein disposed under the plungers 56, respectively, and adapted to receive the flange of a cork, such as the type shown in Figs. 9 to 12, with a cork portion 68 adapted to be received within the neck of a bottle, and including an enlarged head or flanged top end 63 adapted to engage over the mouth end of the bottle.

Disposed below each notch 61 of the ring segments 64 is a pair of laterally spaced horizontal arms or fingers 16 having free end portions H normally positioned to receive the portion 68 of a cork therebetween so that the flange 69 of the cork will be supported thereon as same is received within the notch 61. The fingers Ill are pivoted to the ring segments as at 12 to permit movement of the pairs of fingers from under the flange of a cork as same is being applied to a bottle. Disposed between each pair of fingers is a stop 13 against which the fingers are resiliently held in closed position in supporting relation with the flange of a cork by a coiled tension spring it connected between the fingers. The stops 13 comprise the heads of screws threaded within apertures in the ring segments 64.

As each corking head approaches the front of the machine, a cork is fed into the recess thereof just prior to the feeding of a bottle onto the shelf 6 therebelow. Then as the bottle is raised by the shelf, the cork is caused to enter the neck of the bottle with the plunger 56 of the corking head serving as a resilient backing for the cork and arranged to be slightly raised against the tension of the spring 62 as the bottle reaches its uppermost position to insure pressure engagement of the flange of the cork with the mouth end of the bottle, as seen in. Fig. 12. While the bottle is being raised after it initially engages the cork, the fingers upon which the cork is supported are spread apart from under the flange of the cork by the free ends of the fingers being provided with opposed cam formations 15, or tapered portions, adapted for camming engagement with the mouth end of the bottle. The flanges of the corks are of about the same diameter as the mouth end of the bottles, so that they may pass by the fingers as the battles to which they are applied are lowered onthe shelves tobe carried from the machine.

Arranged below the pairs of. fingers I and mounted on the ring segments 64 are bottle: centering members I8 in the form of-tubular-sem.

segments 64, in spaced. relation under the pairs of fingers I0, by bolts I8 passing through lugs=19 formed on opposite sides of the tubular sections,v with the bottom ends of the bores of said sections being tapered, as at 80, to guidethe bottlestherein as they are raised on the shelves.

The cork feeding means of the invention will. now be described.

Arranged centrally within the hollow-shaft 4- is I a stationary supporting shaft 85 having its lower end firmly secured in a bearing 88 in thebottom wall 3 of the housing I, and-having its upper portion supported within a bearing 81 inthe. top end. of the shaft 4. The shaft 85 extends upward. beyond the top of the shaft 4,. with the supporting *wheel 42 having a ball-bearing 88 secured in its hub which is slidably' received on the shaft 85 for a purpose later dwelt upon.

Adjustably mounted on the topend portion of the shaft 85 is a supporting member 89 upon 1 which is supported cork feeding means for feeding flanged corks to the corking: heads as they approach the front of the machine. I

The supporting member 89 is inthe form of a sleeve received on the shaft 85. The sleeve has a longitudinal key 90 slidably received: in a keyway 9! of the shaft 85 to hold the sleeve from rotating, and a set screw 92 is. provided on the sleeve for engagement with the shaft tohold, the sleeve in adjusted positions.

The bottom end of the sleeve 89 engages the bearing 08 of the supporting wheel 42 so that when the wheel is adjusted to raise or lower the corking heads in accordance with the height of the bottles to be corked, the sleeve may rest upon be supported by the wheel so as tobe adjustedand being secured at its top edge portion to a bracket 95 mounted on the top end of the supporting sleeve 89. The hopper is arranged over-- the disc 95and includes an upper cylindrical wall section 91! secured to brackets 98- arranged thereabout and mounted on the periphery of the supporting disc 95. The hopper also includes a rotating lower section including a cylindrical'wall portion 99, or ring, registering with the wall portion 91 and being secured on a disc I00 forming the bottom of the hopper and being received within a central depression IOI in the supporting disc 95 so that its upper surface will be in the plane of the upper surface portion I02 of the by side single order.

disc 95 thereabout.

The lower section: of 1. the;

hopper is rotatably supportedon the supporting disc 95 by its bottom' I00 beingsecured. to the upper end of a shaft I03'rotatably mounted in a bearing I 04 secured disc 95.

on the under side of they In the wall portion 99 of thelower sectionof the hopper is a'plurality of cork passageways I05. which are formed'to only permit the flanged'corks. to pass therethrough whose flanged endsface. or} 105 rest upon the bottom I00 of the hopper, with said Wall portion being rotated in a clockwise direction, as viewed in.plan,.for agitating the corks therein into position for passage through thepassageways.

To this end, each passageway'is T.-'

shaped with its widest portion I06 arranged adjacent the upper surface of the bottom I00 of the hopper and being adaptedto receive the flange of a cork. The upper or narrow portion I01.- Lof each passageway is narrower than the diameter?v of the flange of a cork .but is adapted to permit the passage of the portion 68 of the cork there'- through.

As the corks are discharged from the hopper through its passageways, they are brought into cooperative relation with means which directs them in uniform single order into position to be of the supporting disc 95, in which the corks are received from the hopper in uniform single'order-j As the corks move downward in the channel-Way'- by force of gravity, they are directed into the upper end of a magazine IIG arranged to guide the corks'into the recesses of the corking heads. To this end, the guide portion I09 of the guide I08 terminates at the lower edge portion of the supporting disc into a downwardly curved end portion III alongside of which the corks are guided into the upper end of the magazine'by an arcuate guide I I 2 mounted on the supporting disc 95 opposite the guide portion III so as to'forrn therebetween a downward continuation of the channel-way. Theguides I08 and IIZ'ar'e provided with rails I I4 and I I5, respectively, on their top sides, with each rail arranged to form a guide-" way along the side of its respective guide in which the flanges of the corks are received to hold or guide the corks in uniform single order into the magazine. I

The'passage-ways of the wall portion 99 of the hopper, at the downwardly moving side thereof,

are blocked to prevent passage of the corks there-' through until they approach the upwardly Ino'ving side of the wall portion by-an arcuate guard rail I I 5a mounted on the supporting disc with its lower end terminating at the guide 'I I2.

The magazine I I0 is mounted on the support ing disc 95, and includes a bottom. wall H6 and side walls IIl having rails I I8 provided thereon,

respectively, forming guideways along the inner sides of the sidewalls in which the flanges of the corks are received to guide the corks in side eat The magazine continuesis forcedinto the recess by means of an air jet I20 arranged in the side wall of the magazine at an angle to direct air under pressure at the rear of the cork, as best seen in Fig. 11. Air under pressure is supplied to the jet I20 by means of an air-pressure pump I2I driven by an electric motor I22 and being connected with the jet by means of an air conduit I23, as diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 4.

For regulating the pressure of the air at the jet, 2. pressure regulator I24 is included in the conduit I23, with the regulator being mounted on the bracket 96 of the supporting sleeve 89. That portion of the conduit I23 between the regulator and the pump I2I may be of flexible material to permit vertical adjustment of the regulator with the supporting sleeve 89.

When the recesses of the corking heads are not in register with the discharge end of the magazine, the corks are held in said end by beinghead as it passes by the magazine.

In accordance with the objects of the inven-' tion, a simple operable connection is provided be tween the corking head supporting wheel 42 and the hopper for rotating the lower section of the hopper. To this end, the supporting wheel 42 has an upwardly projecting hub portion 525 on which issecured a spur gear I2'I which meshes with a spur gear I28 arranged on the bottom end of a vertically disposed shaft I29 which is rotatably mounted in a bearing I30 on the suphopper by having a bevel gear I32 provided onits top end meshing with a similar bevel gear I33 provided on a horizontal shaft I34, with said gear I33 being in mesh with a similar bevel gear I35 secured on the bottom end of the shaft N33.

The horizontal shaft I34 is secured in spaced bearings I36 of the sleeve 89 and has its ends received within bearings I31 provided at the ends of arms I38 formed on the bearing I04 of the ;disc 95. Thus the bearing I04 with its arms I38 serves as a bracket extension of the supporting sleeve to firmly support the cork feeding device.

By virtue of the structure described, a simple corking machine for flanged corks has been provided, that is capable of more positively positioning the corks in cooperative relation with the corking mechanism than machines heretofore constructed; that maintains the corks in such position until after they have been initially applied to the bottles; that includes corking heads and feeding means therefore that may be easily adjusted together to accommodate bottles of various height; that includes a most compact and simple supporting structure for the corking heads and feeding means; and wherein the corks are more positively fed to the corking heads in uniform side by side single order to insure the proper positioning of same in the heads.

Another important feature of the invention is ;that the notched cork-positioning ring segments of themagazine', the end cork in the magazine 64 with their cork-supporting fingers II! may be easily removed from under the supporting wheel 42, so that a number of sets of such ring segments with similar fingers may be kept at hand for attachment to the wheel for positioning corks of various sizes.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a machine .of the class described, a corking device having means for applying to a bottle a cork having a flanged top-end adapted to engage over the mouth end of the bottle, including a cork applying head provided with means to position the cork in cooperative relation with the applying means and including means operated by the bottle after initial application of the cork therein for releasing the cork from the positioning means, wherein the positioning means includes a member detachably connected with the head and having a notch in an edge thereof adapted to receive'and position the flanged end of the cork, and wherein the last means includes a pair of horizontal fingers arranged under the positioning member to engage under the flange of the cork at opposite sides thereof, said fingers being pivoted to the member for horizontal movement out from underthe flange, and said fingers having cam formations respectively form-ed for camming engagement with the bottle after insertion of the cork therein to cause said movement of the fingers.

2. In a machine of the class described, a number of corking devices arranged about and mounted to rotate around a vertical axis, each device having means for applying to a bottle a cork having a flanged top-end adapted to engage over the mouth-end of the bottle upon rotation of the device about said axis, including means to position the cork above the bottle prior to the applying operation and being inclusive of means operated by the bottle after initial application of the cork therein for releasing the cork from the positioning means, wherein the positioning means comprises a member detachably connected with the devices to rotate therewith and having an edge of circular form concentric with the axis provided with notches therein arranged and adapted to receive and position the flanges of the corks in cooperative relation with the devices respectively, and wherein the last means comprises pairs of horizontal fingers arranged to engage under the flanges of the corks respectively at opposite-sides thereof and being pivoted to the member for movement out from under the flanges.

3. In a machine of the class described, a corking head for, corks having a flanged top end adapted to engage over the mouth end of a bottle, including means forming a recess adapted to receive and,:position the flange of the cork comprising a spring-pressed plunger having a bottom end forming the top wall of the recess, a member arranged below the plunger and having a'notchin an edge thereof adapted to snugly receive the flange of the cork, and a pair of spring-pressed fingers normally arranged to engage under the flange of the cork at opposite sides thereof to support same in the notch and being capable of movement out from under the flange to permit removal of the cork from the recess.

ARTHUR I. RISSER, 

